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Changing of the Guard
camera shows Hank Devon standing near the United Nations complex in New York City. A cameraman is standing across from him, pointing the camera at him, and a Midnight City News van is parked nearby. Devon is holding a microphone and is reports into the camera. Devon: --Thanks, Diamond. As you said, a mere 8 hours ago, United Nations Secretary-General Johi Ezera of South Africa resigned from his position, effective immediately. In the building behind me, the Security Council is meeting to elect a new Secretary-General as speak. Now, to recap, Ezera resigned immediately after revoking the permissions of the Plumbers, a galactic police organization that keeps peace throughout the galaxy. The decision comes after a press release by an unknown source was released early this morning, claiming that the Plumbers were the ones responsible for starting a war on the Haven earlier this morning. A couple hours ago I spoke with ArcTech CEO Damian Walker, who has been known to be against Plumber activity, about the matter; he had this to say: camera cuts to archive footage of Devon talking to Damian. Walker: I think that the whole situation this morning got a little bit out of control. There's no proof that the Plumbers did anything wrong, at least not today, and a lot of people jumped to quick conclusions. I have spoken against the Plumbers in the past, but I'm a big believer that people, or organizations rather, can change. I guess we'll just have to see what the future holds... Devon: Clever insight from Mr. Walker indeed. As for the Plumbers, it appears that until a new Secretary-General is announced, we will have no conformation on whether the Plumbers will retain their permissions on Earth. Diamond... camera cuts to Diamond Soyder reporting from the news studio in Midnight City. Soyder: Thank you, Hank. Today's events serve as a grim reminder that humans are not alone in this world. For decades, aliens have lived among us, and in the last 15 years it has become ever more apparent to the average citizen of the world. We go to Emily Porter in the news room with more, Emily-- screen transitions to Porter standing in the news room of the studio. Porter: Thanks, Diamond. Aliens have always been the subject of science fiction and fantasy, but in the past 15 years, our planet has had more encounters will alien life forms than in all of our previous history... camera cuts to archive footage of recent events on Earth involving aliens. Porter: Remember movies like Star Wars? How about Star Trek? Everyone remembers Independence Day. All three of these franchises have one thing in common: they are fictional franchises involving alien life, something that, as of 15 years ago, very few humans knew existed. Then, either ironically or coincidentally, this past Independence Day, terror struck the American homeland when an alien invasion occurred primarily in St. Louis, with other attacks occurring in Seattle, Washington D.C., and New York City. The invasion, by a race of aliens that the Plumbers confirmed to be called the Aldabarbarians, lasted only a matter of hours before it concluded, but the devastation was catastrophic. camera shows flashbacks of the Aldabarbarian armada attacking St. Louis. It also shows pictures of the damaged Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty, and the Seattle Space Needle. Porter: This wasn't even the first time that aliens had attacked Earth in recent memory. Six years ago in 2020, aliens from another dimension known as The Other attacked Earth near our headquarters in Midnight City. The invasion was again handled by the Plumbers in less than a day. camera shows flashbacks of the Other's fleet destroying parts of Midnight City. Porter: Six years before that, in 2014, a wide variety of alien attacks took place. Not only did the Salimorians invade the planet and trap it within a device known as a Grid, but the Nikon'ali invaded towards the end of the Salimorian invasion, bringing chaos to many of the major cities on Earth. Once again, however, the Plumbers stood by Earth and defended it. camera shows different flashbacks of the Salimorian invasion and the Nikon'ali attacks of July 13-15, 2014. Porter: The real question in all of this is why? Why now, after millions of years have past, are aliens only finding out about Earth now? There's almost no answer as of yet, which means it is an awfully great thing that there seem to be as many aliens willing to protect us as there are aliens eager to seemingly destroy us. camera cuts back to Diamond Soyder in the news studio. Soyder: That was Emily Porter, reporting. stops a moment. Soyder: And actually we're going to go back to Hank Devon with a breaking news report. Hank... camera cuts back to Hank in New York City. He has moved closer to the United Nations complex, where several politicians and diplomats are standing. Devon: We think that they're about to make their announcement about the new Secretary-General, so let's listen in... of the politicians steps up to the podium. He speaks with a British accent. Politician: I'm sure you all heard the sad news earlier today that Mr. Ezera resigned from his position as Secretary-General. His resignation was officially confirmed within the last half-hour, and the Security-Council just concluded an emergency session where we elected the next Secretary-General. doors to one of the building in the UN complex opens up, and Damian Walker walks outside. Politician: Damian Walker... Song camera shows the entire team that was on Naran Manos arriving at Plumbers' Galactic-Command from the transport platforms. They walk for a few moments before realizing that the headquarters is mostly deserted. Hornbok: It seems all available personnel really went to Lunaris, now did they? Ivada: I would think a few officers stayed behind... Hornbok: Agreed... You and most of the team can head to the office wing to search for all remaining Plumbers... I only need to talk with Paper and Sci... looks at Paper and Sci, who are talking with Virton, Hannibal, Polarys, and Kali. The camera cuts over to the six. Virton: How long has the Haven even been at Earth? Sci: Over 12 years... It showed up less than 2 weeks after we sealed Rigon in his prison... Virton: And you never told me? Paper: We didn't know that it affected you... We were never able to figure out the origins of the Haven and trace them back to the Veloans... Hannibal: And you said that the entire conflict is dependent on the Haven, but why? Paper: It's just a theory, but... If the Elite are aligned with the Rotolysians, then it's completely possible that the Rotolysians are vying to reacquire their lost war machine in exchange for helping the Elite... Meanwhile, the Elite might be using the Aldabarbarians in order to betray the Rotolysians later on, by luring them onto the Haven... Polarys: I hadn't heard of the Haven until a couple months ago... That doesn't mean that the Aldabarbarians didn't know about the Haven, but still, it's rather suspicious... Hannibal: Of course! confused: You think it was the Axillia? Hannibal: The Axillia must have been the ones who caused the Aldabarbarians to know about the Haven. Virton: It adds up. The Axillia were almost wiped out in a war against the Veloans millennia ago. If they were actually alive the whole time, then they would know about the Rotolysian's war machine. The Phantom and Phantress must have gone to Aldabarbaria centuries ago in hopes of using their armies in order to conquer the Haven, return it to its former status as a war machine, and use it for revenge on the Veloans. Sci: While meanwhile the Rotolysians are also trying to do the same thing to enable their revenge on the Plumbers for not helping them in their war with the Veloans... Paper: Which confirms that the Elite are playing the two sides against each other, as we originally suspected... Kali: The only question remaining... is why? intruding: Thanks for answering what I was just about to ask... Are we sure what the Rotolysians and Aldabarbarian's goals are? Paper: It's almost certain... Hornbok: That makes figuring out the Elite's plans all that easier... Not today though, it's been a very long-- communicator rings and for a second he looks like he is about to explode. He picks up the communicator and answers it. angry: What is it? Eshus: This is Eshus; I need the Plumbers' help? Hornbok: Eshus? I don't remember who you are-- Eshus: I'm one of the Lantovorians that your squad met on the Haven... Hornbok: Oh. What do you need help with? Eshus: We discovered that the Eketophians have been continuing their operations in the trench outside of our colony, and now we believe that they have all of the necessary equipment and materials to revive Medullus. Hornbok: That's not a good thing, is it? Eshus: No, if they revive Medullus, it would be all out war in the Mare Glacies. Hornbok: I'll send my team... puts the communicator down and places his hand on his forehead, showing his stress level. Hornbok: We've got urgent matters to deal with in the Mare Glacies on the Haven... Paper: That's the underground cold water sea for those who don't know... Hornbok: Yes. The Lantovorians, a race who lives in the sea, is requesting our help in stopping the Eketophians, another race in the sea, from reviving their supposed ancient deity. looks at Virton, Hannibal, and Polarys. Hornbok: I understand completely if you three don't want to help... Virton: I can't speak for these two, but I've always considered myself a part-time Plumber. Polarys: Of course I'll help... simply nods his head as Hornbok starts giving instructions. fading out: Okay, I'll gather the rest of the team and we'll all head to Solaris where we'll get in the Darwin and meet up with the... camera cuts to the Lantovorian colony in the Mare Glacies. Eshus and Tayvir are swimming at the edge of the colony, looking at the trench in the distance. Tayvir: This is a surprise to me. I was almost certain that that Eketophians abandoned their work in the trench after we went down there and exposed them weeks ago... Eshus: It is a surprise to us all. I never could have imagined that the Eketophians would acquire exactly what they need in order to revive Medullus. Tayvir: It is only speculation, brother, but you are right in preparing for the worst. camera pans over to the trench and then cuts to the bottom of it. The Eketophians can be seen preparing for some sort of operation. Many of the soldiers are marching around and others and loading cargo onto several ships. The camera cuts to Mantox overseeing a group of soldiers. Mantox: Hey, careful with the specimen! Soldier: Of course, boss. soldiers continue to load the cargo onto the ship as Mantox turns around and sees Stingma behind him. Stingma: Mantox, everything is ready to proceed... Mantox: Excellent, as soon as the shipments are ready, Medullus will be revived... Commercial camera cuts onto the Darwin as it cruises through the Mare Glacies. On board, the entire team, as well as Virton, Hannibal, Kali, and Polarys are listening to Hornbok brief the team on the mission. Hornbok: For those unaware, the Haven has two underground seas, the Mare Ignis and the Mare Glacies. The seas serve two purposes: to connect the cities of the Haven, and to serve as a home for aquatic species. One of the races of the Mare Glacies, the Eketophians, is planning on resurrecting their supposed ancient deity, Medullus. We are heading towards the colony of another race, the Lantovorians, in order to assist them in stopping the Eketophians. camera quickly cuts to the entire team at the Lantovorian colony. They are wearing underwater gear and talking to Eshus and Tayvir. Eshus: You must understand that Medullus is a creature with an unfathomable psychic prowess. It is believed by our race that the Ekteophians originally worshiped him, not under their own free will, but because of Medullus' abilities. Over time, we believe that their relationship with Medullus became more passive, until one day, the deity fell into a sleep and disappeared. If they truly are reviving Medullus... Tayvir: Then it is not the Eketophians we will have to worry about. Eshus: Our plan is simple; we go down into the trench in three squads. One will act a diversion, drawing cover fire from the soldiers. The other two squads will infiltrate the base at opposite ends and work towards the middle. Hornbok: What if Medullus has already been revived? Sci: Or what if he's revived while we're down there? Eshus: In the first scenario, all the squads will simply attack the Eketophians head on. In the latter scenario, the two squads inside the base must make their way out of the base in order to continue the plan, but the idea is the same. Tayvir: We must also remember that the Eketophians maintain an advantage because of your team's inexperience with aquatic combat. Hornbok: Don't hold their inexperience against them. They're still plenty capable of handling whatever comes their way. nods as the camera cuts to one of the infiltrating squads swimming near the bottom of the trench, way to the left of the base. In the distance, near the center of the base, the cover squad can be seen beginning their attack. The Eketophian soldiers start to fire red laser blasts at the Plumbers as they fight back, only needing to distract the Eketophians and not actually win. The camera zooms in on the left infiltrating squad. Paper, Sci, Will, Cassie, Bink, Polarys, Kali, Brian, Zon, Nar, and Jack are seen approaching the left side of the base. They swim up to what appears to be an airlock that is used to enter the base. They swim outside of it and stare at it for a moment. Suddenly, it starts to open. The team splits and hides on either side of the airlock as a small Eketophian ship exits the airlock. Before it closes, the squad rushes inside. All of the members of the team make it inside just before the airlock closes. Will: Hold on, aren't airlocks supposed to drain after they're closed? Cassie: They definitely are... Sci: We can just break down the door... Brian: That's a massive door, and it looks strong, too. angry: Great, who's idea was it to put all of our brute force on the cover squad? casually: I can just vibrate through the door... Sci: And then activate the drain from the other side? Paper: If I can find the controls... Polarys: There might be Eketophians on the other side... Paper: They would have drained the airlock, I doubt they're there... swims over towards the door and quickly vibrates directly through it. He arrives on the other side, which is not filled with water, nor Eketophian soldiers waiting in ambush. He looks around, but he doesn't see a control panel. Paper: Of course... runs down one hallway and then slides to a stop as he arrives in another hallway. He looks to the side and sees an Eketophian standing immediately in front of him. He quickly looks behind him and sees that there is a closed door. Eketophian: Who's there? Eketophian turns around, but Paper quickly shuffles behind him to avoid his view. Eketophian: I can hear you, and if you're hiding that can only mean that you're up to no good... the Eketophian looks around in front of him, Paper notices that he has a small device at his side. It appears to be the controller from the airlock. Paper: If you can find me I'll leave... the voice, the Eketophian turns around again, but Paper has disappeared. confused: Am I hearing things? hidden: You are indeed... Eketophian: You have no idea who you're dealing with. I'm Stingma, the lead scientist of the Eketophians, a mind smarter than most others in galaxy and definitely smarter than yours. Paper: If you're so smart, then where's your airlock controller? looks down at where he was carrying the controller and then looks in front of him and sees it floating in midair. Stingma: Give it back... jumps and roundhouses at the controller, but it rapidly flies underneath him. Stingma quickly turns around to follow the controller, but then stops in place. Stingma: Rah, who cares if they infiltrate the base, we've already finished evacuating... turns around and continues walking down the hallway as the camera cuts to the controller. Paper suddenly appears, the one who was carrying the controller. He appears weakened and then trips and slides across the floor. He falls to the ground and manages to hit the button on the controller. After a few moments, the door to the airlock opens and the team walks into the base, quickly noticing Paper on the ground. He has his hand on his head and appears to be in pain. Paper: You're welcome... Sci: What happened? Paper: I did something I didn't know I could do... I vibrated my molecules so fast that they separated and I turned invisible... Never again. helps him up. Will: Why'd you need to turn invisible? Paper: There was an Eketophian in the hallway, Stingma. He said he was their head scientist, but then he said that it didn't matter if we got into the base because they had already evacuated... Bink: Well if they've already evacuated, then that means... Cassie: They'll have something important with them... We should go help cover squad... camera cuts to the cover squad in the front of the base, fighting against Eketophian soldiers. The squad is made up of Rob, Water, Paul, Harry, Figy, Roy, Slick, Kruto, Relgo, Virton, and Hannibal. As the fight continues, the camera cuts to the Eketophian side. All of the cargo has finally been loaded onto the ship as Mantox stands behind the ships, watching the fight. angry: Where is Stingma? Stingma exits the base and approaches Mantox. The latter turns around and roundhouses him, knocking him back. Mantox: You're late... Stingma: I ran into someone in the base... Mantox: Who? Stingma: I don't know; I couldn't see them Mantox: We're leaving now, anyway. The base can go out, too... walks over to a ship as Stingma slowly follows him and gets onto the ship as well. It starts to take off as the other ships follow. The squad of Plumbers in front of the base continue the fight and try and watch the ships at the same time. Slick: I don't think that's a good thing... the ships fly away, the camera cuts onto the ship that Mantox and Stingma are on. There are also other Eketophians aboard the ship. Eketophian: Are we out of range, sir? Mantox: Yes. Submerge when ready. Eketophian nods his head. He presses a button at the ship. Below the fleet, the camera shows different parts of the roof of the base. Several small holes open up, allowing the water to flow into the base. Mantox: That should take care of most of the Plumbers-- Stingma: And of course, when we arrive at our new base-- Mantox: Don't interrupt me, fool. But yes, when we do arrive... chuckles. Mantox: At long last... Our ancient deity... Medullus returns... Commercial camera cuts to Damian answering questions at the UN Complex in New York City. Devon: Why don't you answer the question that's on everybody's mind: what about the Plumbers? Will they be allowed to stay? Damian: I'm not going to answer any questions about my new-found responsibilities as Secretary-General at this time. I will only answer questions about myself.] #1: Did you ever think that you would become Secretary-General? #2: Or that it would happen so soon? #3: Were you shocked by Mr. Ezera's resignation? Damian: Ladies and gentlemen, I don't feel comfortable answering all of these questions at once. Feel free to ask questions, and my assistant will record them so I can answer them at a later time. No, if you excuse me, I'll be on my office. It's quite late at night, and I want to get some sleep for my first full day on the job. walks into the building as the reporters continue to answer questions. #4: When will we have answers to all these questions? #5: What about the war on the Haven? #6: Who will be the new CEO of ArcTech? the reporter continues to ask questions, the camera cuts to inside of the Eketophian's base in the Mare Glacies as it fills with water. the camera shows Paper's team as they run through the hallway, trying to find an exit. Kali: If this base is flooding with water, then the Eketophians must be gone, right? Bink: That would make sense, but why destroy their own base? Brian: They said that they were evacuating. They're probably trying to destroy everything that they don't need, and everyone that they don't want. Zon: We're really going to almost drown for the second time in the last 10 minutes? this point, the water is about up to the team's knees. They start to slow down because of it. Nar: Not going to happen, Zon. Zon: At this point, it might. We probably only have 15 minutes of air left... Sci: Right there, an exit... It's probably locked though... uses the water around him and makes it slice through the door. On the other side, he sees the other infiltrating team staring at them. Sci: Okay, not an exit... on the other team: We have to get out before this base floods... Will: We know. Have you found any exits? Nick: If he did, would we still be in here? Cassie: You might have went looking for us first? Paper: Alright, enough arguing. This isn't the time. The Eketophians have gone who knows where and meanwhile we're stuck in their base... Kali: We're not exactly stuck... Ahmad: We just have to find an exit... Ray: Why can't we make our own exit? Sci: All of the walls are made out of a super strong metal... Wait, where are Hornbok and Ivada? other team splits in the middle, revealing Hornbok and Ivada at the back. Hornbok: We thought we'd let the others lead... Sci: Ivada, can't you freeze the water? Ivada: Of course I can, but what good would that door? Sci: If you freeze the water, we can figure out where it's leaking from and then use the weak spot in the metal to break through it. Ivada: That's... crazy enough to work... But we're all standing in the water; it would trap our legs. Sci: I can hold us all in the air for just long enough. It should only take a second, right? Ivada: Right... Sci: Get ready... raises his arm and lifts all of the Plumbers into the air with a gust of wind. Ivada quickly freezes the water as Sci drops the entire team to the ground. Paper: Found a weak spot... points to very small hole in the side of the wall, just above the ice line. Brian turns his arm into a needle and then sticks it through the whole. A stream of water starts to flood through the hole as Brian turns his arm into a hammer and begins to bash on the wall. Brian: Get ready to swim! swings his arm and breaks through the wall, allowing the water to fully flood the room and creating a path to the outside. The team starts to swim out of the base and around to the front of it as it continues to flood with water and collapse under the pressure. The team arrives at the front of the base, but they see the cover squad swimming towards the Eketophian ships. moving his arms in a follow motion: Over here! camera cuts to all of the Plumbers swimming up the trench, with the Eketophians just in front of them. Hornbok: Do we have any idea where they might be going? Maybe to the Lantovorian colony? Ivada: Why would they go to the Lantovorian colony in order to revive their deity? Hornbok: I guess we'll just follow them and see... camera cuts onto one of the Eketophian ships. On board, Mantox stands watching out the windshield, and Stingma stands to the side of him and shows him a glass case, with a small orb in it. He grins with evil intentions. End